Myanmar earthquake death toll surpasses 1,700, over 700 killed in a day

New Delhi: The death toll from Friday’s devastating earthquake in Myanmar has risen to more than 1,700, with over 700 people killed in a single day, the country’s military government said on Monday. More than 60 mosques were destroyed in the disaster.

A military government spokesman reported that over 3,400 people were injured and more than 300 remain missing. It was unclear whether the deaths in mosques were included in the official count.

The 7.7-magnitude earthquake was the strongest to hit Myanmar and Thailand in 200 years. CNN quoted a geologist stating that the quake’s impact was equivalent to the explosion of 334 atomic bombs.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) warned that the death toll could exceed 10,000.